Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1997 Jun;23(2):67-72.
doi: 10.1023/A:1004908708162.

An electrical model for the cytoplasmic calcium wave in fertilized eggs

A F Leung  1 , L M McCormick
Affiliations

An electrical model for the cytoplasmic calcium wave in fertilized eggs

A F Leung et al. J Biol Phys. 1997 Jun.

Abstract

The calcium wave subsequent to fertilization of the egg is analyzed interms of an electrical equivalent circuit. The circuit consists of aswitch, capacitor, an inductor, and a resistor. The switch symbolizes aseries of chemical reactions initiated by the sperm the lead to thedevelopment of the calcium wave. Its closure signifies the onset of thecalcium wave. The capacitor and inductor represent the endoplasmicreticulum. The capacitive component of the endoplasmic reticulum controlsthe release of calcium ions while the inductive component regulates thesequestration of clacium ions. The resistor represents the inductor andcytoplasm and has very low resistance. The analysis of the circuit showsthat the period of the calcium oscillations is proportional to the size ofthe egg. It agrees with the measurements on various types of eggs.

Keywords: Cytoplasmic calcium wave; Fertilisation of eggs..

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Barinaga M. Looking to development’s future. Science. 1994;266:561–564. - PubMed
    1. Putney J., Jr, St J. The signal of capacitative calcium entry. Cell. 1993;75:199–201. - PubMed
    1. Whitaker M., Swann K. Lighting the fuse at fertilization. Development. 1993;117:1–12.
    1. Berridge M.J. Cytoplasmic calcium oscillations: A two pool model. Cell Calcium. 1991;12:63–72. - PubMed
    1. Tsien R.W., Tsien R.Y. Calcium channels, stores and oscillation. Annu. Rev. Cell Biol. 1990;6:715–760. - PubMed